Nation's Largest Iraq War Veterans Group Backs House Bill to Address Mental Toll of Iraq War:
OIF Veteran and IAVA Founder Paul Rieckhoff Cites Desperate Need to Reform Troops' Mental Health Care
 

"We hear time and time again from our veteran membership that the legacy of this war will be the mental toll it's exacting on our Troops," Rieckhoff said this morning. "The nation has been through this before, with many Vietnam Veterans still not getting the mental care they need. Lawmakers know the problem and they know the solution, yet nothing has been done. The government cannot wait any longer to take this issue seriously. On behalf of this nation's Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans, I thank Representative Evans for taking up our concerns."

Research has already demonstrated that military service in Iraq and Afghanistan, like service in past combat zones, is having an adverse effect on the mental health of our men and women in uniform. More than one million men and women in uniform have rotated through combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, and estimates of those effected by PTSD could be as high as one-in-five. Moreover, recent GAO reports indicate that VA and DoD do not have the capacity to meet the increasing mental health needs of returning war veterans.

Rep. Evans' legislation focuses on the emerging need for far greater resources to diagnose and care for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and other combat-related mental health issues. The bill calls for expanded and improved services for veterans suffering from mental trauma, and also mandates programs to raise public awareness and increase clinical understanding of the mental toll of combat.

Operation Truth (www.optruth.org) is the nation's first and largest non-partisan organization representing Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A copy of Rieckhoff's full statement is attached.

For media inquiries, please contact Will Coghlan at (212) 982-9699, or email .

# # #

Thank you all very much. Thank you Congressman Evans.

My name is Paul Rieckhoff. I am a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Executive Director of Operation Truth--America's largest Iraq Veterans group.

I am here today to offer Operation Truth's support for "The Comprehensive Assistance for Veterans Exposed to Traumatic Stressors Act of 2005"

I am also here on behalf of Operation Truth's over 500 members to help create some urgency in this town. I am here to help wake you up. The mental toll that this war has had on our newest generation of Veterans is severe--and growing. PTSD could very well be my generation's Agent Orange Syndrome.

I have spent time with hundreds of vets since I returned from Iraq last year. We disagree on many issues surrounding the war. PTSD is not one of those issues. We are united in our understanding of the magnitude of the problem. The recent NEJM Study found that roughly 1 in 6 of us will return from Iraq with PTSD. Honestly, I think that number is very conservative.

I spent almost a year in central Baghdad as an Infantry Rifle Platoon Leader with the Army's Third Infantry and First Armored Divisions. I commanded a platoon of thirty-eight grunts--and we saw it all. Our friends were wounded and killed. We saw massive destruction; civilians wounded and killed, roadside bombs, inadequate equipment, ambush attacks, and frequent extensions of our tour.

We have returned with mental health issues that need treatment. Many of us have returned with rage, hyper-sensitivity, depression. A young soldier in our company, took his own life just a few months after we got home.

And we have returned to a country that is not at all ready to properly receive us.

And we demand action.

I am joined here today by Herold Noel. Herold is a father of three who honorably served this country with the Third ID as a Private First Class and Fuel Specialist. During the invasion of Iraq, Herold was at the tip of the spear. Two years later, he is leading another fight. Herold has PTSD and recently found himself homeless. Homeless. Living on the streets of New York City in his car. He has had to navigate a ridiculous maze of bureaucracy and a system that does not know how to handle how he has been affected by this war.

And Herold is not alone. There are already homeless Iraq Vets showing up all across our country. Has this country not learned from its mistakes? Have we forgotten Vietnam? There are hundreds of thousands of homeless Vietnam veterans on the streets of this country right now. We know how PTSD can lead to marital problems, unemployment, crime, drug abuse, alcoholism, homelessness, and suicide. Why does this country not understand that if we don't act now, and support legislation like this, history will repeat itself in America?

Herold has served his country well. I have served my country well. Over 1 million troops have been through the theater of operations in the Middle East since 9/11. They have served our country well. It is time to properly honor that service.

Many people around the country, and especially in this town, talk about supporting the troops. Well, talk it is cheap. The mental toll of this war is wounding and killing America's sons and daughters every day. Our troops and veterans are tired of partisan politics. We are tired of bickering. We are tired of talk. We need action. What more proof do you need?

If you really support the troops, it is time for you to put your money where your mouth is, and support this legislation.

Thank you very much.